Jews to rally against Ahmadinejad

Jewish groups will hold a “Stop Iran” rally to coincide with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York.

The rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the United Nations will be held Sept. 22, when the Iranian president is in town to attend the U.N. General Assembly.

The idea is to send a message to Ahmadinejad and world leaders, said Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

The Presidents Conference is helping to organize the rally with a host of other national Jewish groups and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

“We’re not going to be silent when someone threatens to destroy the United States and Israel,” Hoenlein said.

Jewish organizations held a similar demonstration last year during Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York for the opening of the General Assembly. Ahmadinejad also spoke then at a forum at Columbia University.

On Sept. 23, Jewish groups will hold a conference in Washington on genocide to highlight the Iranian president’s threats against the Jewish state.